Accepting the official invitation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Pope Francis has begun his historic visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain on 3 - 6 November.
During his stay in the country, the Holy Father will address the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue, a conference that will focus on the theme “East and West for Human Coexistence” at Al-Fida Square of Sakhir Royal Palace on November 4.
Looking forward to this meet, already during his All Saints Day Angelus address on 1 November, the Pope expressed his hope that “every meeting and event might be a fruitful opportunity to promote, in the name of God, the cause of fraternity and peace."
In an interview with Vatican Media, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that the Pope's visit and the events in Bahrain is a sign of hope and dialogue "in a world characterized by tensions, oppositions, and conflicts,” in which he will carry "a message of unity, cohesion, and peace."
During this his 39th Apostolic Journey abroad, where he will meet with local Christians and encourage interreligious dialogue.
He is also scheduled to meet the members of the Muslim Council of Elders and an Ecumenical Meeting and Prayer for Peace in Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral at Awali.
Pope Francis will celebrate a public Holy Mass on Saturday, 5 November 2022, at Bahrain National Stadium at 8:30 am.
Bahrain is located to the east of Saudi Arabia and west of Qatar, the country has a total population of 1.5 million, according to a 2022 estimate by the CIA World Factbook.
There are around 161,000 Catholics in Bahrain, many of whom are migrants from Asia, particularly the Philippines and India, according to 2020 Vatican statistics. There are two Catholic churches and 20 Catholic priests.
The visit’s theme is “Peace on earth to people of goodwill,” inspired by Luke 2:14, and will include meetings with both Muslim leaders and the small Christian community.
The population is more than 70% Muslim, with the majority belonging to the Shiite branch of Islam, the country’s state religion.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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